Parliamentary questions
Claire Baker
1,724 questions tabled in the Scottish Parliament, most recent first.
25 Jun 2014 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government whether the environmental impacts of hill tracks are relevant to the planning process wherever they occur or only in certain protected areas.
Answer · Derek Mackay: Environmental impacts are relevant to any development. Where permission is required any such impacts, including those affecting protecting areas, will be considered as part of the planning process. Private ways (including hilltracks) are either roads or foot…
25 Jun 2014 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government how it can ensure that the views of developers, local people and communities of interest are taken into account when hill tracks are constructed.
Answer · Derek Mackay: I refer the member to the answer to question S4W-21924 on 16 July 2014. When a planning application is received, the relevant planning authority will consider any representations and to decide how much weight to give the representation in reaching any decisio…
25 Jun 2014 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government how it will ensure that local residents and communities of interest have rights to formally comment on new or upgraded hill track construction.
Answer · Derek Mackay: Where a planning application is submitted to the planning authority, the legal requirements for neighbour notification and publicising the application will be followed and local residents and communities are given the opportunity to make a representation. Whe…
18 Jun 2014 · Portfolio Question
To ask the Scottish Government when it last met the Scottish Funding Council and what issues were discussed.
17 Jun 2014 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what options are available to amend Part 3 of the Land Reform (Scotland) Act 2003.
Answer · Paul Wheelhouse: There are a number of options available to the Scottish Government in addressing any future amendments to Part 3 of the Land Reform (Scotland) Act 2003, including the recently announced proposed Land Reform Bill. Scottish Ministers are currently considering …
17 Jun 2014 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what its position is on whether Part 3 of the Land Reform (Scotland) Act 2003 requires amendment.
Answer · Paul Wheelhouse: The Scottish Government is aware that Part 3 of the Land Reform (Scotland) act 2003 requires some ‘housekeeping’ amendments (e.g. to increase absentee crofter limit from 16 km to 32 km to reflect the changes made in the Crofting Reform (Scotland) Act 2010. P…
16 Jun 2014 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government for what reason measures to amend Part 3 of the Land Reform (Scotland) Act 2003 have not been included in the Community Empowerment (Scotland) Bill.
Answer · Paul Wheelhouse: The Community Empowerment (Scotland) Bill makes amendments to the community right to buy provided for under Part 2 of the Land Reform (Scotland) Act 2003 “the Act”. These changes build on experience gained over 10 years of working with the legislation, extens…
16 Jun 2014 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government, further to the statement by Richard Lochhead on 11 June 2014 (Official Report, c. 32086), from which budget line the additional "£45 million of new money" for the beef sector will be drawn.
Answer · Richard Lochhead: As agreed with the Finance Committee the Scottish Government will be presenting its Draft Budget for 2015-16 to Parliament before the October 2014 recess. Expenditure for the Scottish beef improvement scheme will form part of the Scottish Rural Development Pr…
16 Jun 2014 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government, further to the statement by Richard Lochhead on 11 June 2014 (Official Report, c. 32086), whether it will list each of the "ten green gains in the policy" referred to by the minister.
Answer · Richard Lochhead: The “ten green gains” referred to in the statement are examples of ways in which the post-2015 CAP will improve the environmental performance of Scottish agriculture. These are listed below: Pillar 1 Greening: Improved nutrient efficiency on livestock farm…
16 Jun 2014 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government, further to the statement by Richard Lochhead on 11 June 2014 (Official Report, c. 32086), how many farmers will be impacted by the £400,000 cap on basic payments.
Answer · Richard Lochhead: This is a completely new payments system and because the land and animal numbers declared in the future will affect the payment rates and therefore the total basic payments, it is not possible to say for certain how many businesses will be impacted by a cap o…
2 Jun 2014 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what discussions it has had with (a) Glasgow City Council, (b) the UK Government and (c) the European Commission on lowering nitrogen dioxide (NO2) levels, in light of the legal action by the European Commission in relation to air quality targets.
Answer · Paul Wheelhouse: The Scottish Government contributed to the UK Government’s response to the European Commission’s Article 258 letter of formal notice on infraction proceedings. This response, which is still being considered by the European Commission, outlined the various act…
2 Jun 2014 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government on what date it will publish its response to the responsible dog ownership consultation.
Answer · Kenny MacAskill: The consultation ‘Promoting responsible dog ownership in Scotland: microchipping and other measures’ closed on 31 March 2014 with in excess of 2,000 responses received. The responses will be independently analysed and thoroughly considered and it is expected …
27 May 2014 · First Minister's Question
To ask the First Minister what the Scottish Government's response is to the recommendations in the Land Reform Review Group's final report, The Land of Scotland and the Common Good.
14 May 2014 · Portfolio Question
To ask the Scottish Government how many sports clubs in Fife have received tickets for the Commonwealth Games.
Answer · Shona Robison: As part of the Scottish Government’s legacy ticket initiative, Sportscotland will be distributing at least 1,000 tickets to key individuals who have made a significant contribution to sports clubs. It is not yet possible to say how many of these tickets wil…
12 May 2014 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what the impact would be of an independent Scotland denying foreign fishing fleets access to Scottish waters if it failed to negotiate membership of the EU on Scottish fleets that fish outwith Scottish waters.
Answer · Richard Lochhead: We do not envisage a situation where Scotland is not part of the European Union. Were Scotland not in Europe then it would not be part of the Common Fisheries Policy and therefore all of the international agreements that are in place and built up over decades…
12 May 2014 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what the value is of fish caught by Scottish fishermen outwith Scottish waters, broken down by (a) type of fish and (b) region.
Answer · Richard Lochhead: Landings by Scottish vessels, value, 2013 Waters Demersal Pelagic Shellfish All EU (non-Scottish) £15,844,958 £10,022,195 £22,858,197 £48,725,349 International £510,292 £1,626,621 £12,870 £2,149,782 Norway £11,120,026 £5,264,861 £9,894 £16…
12 May 2014 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what legal advice it received prior to the First Minister's speech, Scotland's Place in Europe, on 28 April 2014 regarding denying fishing fleets access to Norwegian waters if an independent Scotland failed to negotiate membership of the EU.
Answer · Richard Lochhead: I refer the member to the answer to question S4W-20913 on 24 June 2014. All answers to written parliamentary questions are available on the Parliament’s website, the search facility for which can be found at: http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/parliamentarybu…
12 May 2014 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what discussions it had with the Norwegian Government prior to the First Minister's speech, Scotland's Place in Europe on 28 April 2014 regarding the potential for Scotland to deny fishing fleets access to Scottish waters if an independent Scotland failed to negotiate membership of the E…
Answer · Richard Lochhead: None, as we do not envisage a situation where Scotland is not part of the European Union.
12 May 2014 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what discussions the Cabinet Secretary for Rural Affairs and the Environment had with the fishing industry (a) prior to and (b) following the First Minister's speech, Scotland's Place in Europe, on 28 April 2014 regarding fishing fleets accessing Scottish waters if an independent Scotlan…
Answer · Richard Lochhead: I refer the member to the answer to questions S4W-20914 and S4W-21113 on 24 June 2014. All answers to written parliamentary questions are available on the Parliament’s website, the search facility for which can be found at: http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/…
12 May 2014 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what legal advice it received prior to the First Minister's speech, Scotland's Place in Europe, on 28 April 2014 regarding fishing fleets accessing Scottish waters if an independent Scotland failed to negotiate membership of the EU.
Answer · Richard Lochhead: I refer the member to the answer to question S4W-20913 on 24 June 2014. All answers to written parliamentary questions are available on the Parliament’s website, the search facility for which can be found at: http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/parliamentarybu…
12 May 2014 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what discussions the First Minister had with the Cabinet Secretary for Rural Affairs and the Environment prior to the First Minister's speech, Scotland's Place in Europe, on 28 April 2014 regarding fishing fleets accessing Scottish waters if an independent Scotland failed to negotiate me…
Answer · Richard Lochhead: We do not envisage a situation where Scotland is not part of the European Union.
12 May 2014 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government whether the statement by the First Minister in his speech, Scotland's Place in Europe, on 28 April 2014 that the result of an independent Scotland failing to negotiate membership of the EU would see "the fishing fleets of 12 countries being denied any access to Scottish waters and as a c…
Answer · Fiona Hyslop: A scenario whereby the vessels of 12 non-Scottish nations would lose access to fishing opportunities in Scotland’s waters – the fourth largest and among the richest in the core waters of the EU – cannot be seriously entertained. The First Minister made clear…
14 Apr 2014 · General Question
To ask the Scottish Government where the reintroduction of the Levenmouth rail link ranks among its transport priorities.
3 Apr 2014 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what recent discussions the (a) Cabinet Secretary for Justice and (b) Minister for Environment and Climate Change has had with the Chief Constable regarding resources and training for wildlife crime officers.
Answer · Kenny MacAskill: There have been no discussions between the Cabinet Secretary for Justice and the Chief Constable regarding resources and training for wildlife crime officers. The resources deployed and the training of wildlife crime officers are matters solely for the Chief…
3 Apr 2014 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government, in light of the Minister for Environment and Climate Change's comment in his letter to the chief executive of Scottish Land & Estates dated 26 February 2014 that "despite all our efforts, there remains an element of sporting managers and owners who continue to flout the law and defy pub…
Answer · Paul Wheelhouse: The Scottish Government announced a package of measures in July 2013. These were a review of the penalties for wildlife crime, a restriction on the use of general licences and encouragement for the police to use the full range of investigative techniques at t…
3 Apr 2014 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what steps it plans to take in response to the illegal killing of birds of prey in addition to its consultation on the powers of the Scottish SPCA.
Answer · Paul Wheelhouse: The Scottish Government takes the view that the detection and prosecution of offenders is the best response to the illegal killing of birds of prey. To that end we will continue to work with Police Scotland and the Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service t…
26 Mar 2014 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S4W-19498 by Richard Lochhead on 27 February 2014, what the content is of the training that Agriculture, Food and Rural Communities area office staff receive regarding implementation of Environmental Impact Assessment (Agriculture) (Scotland) Regulation…
Answer · Richard Lochhead: Rural Payments and Inspections Directorate inspectors have relevant professional agricultural qualifications and their knowledge of land classification is complimented by local training delivered by experienced staff. The training covers the obligations the E…
26 Mar 2014 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S4W-19493 by Richard Lochhead on 27 February 2014, what steps it has taken to determine the effectiveness of the environmental impact assessment guidance issued to farmers and Agriculture, Food and Rural Communities area office staff in ensuring that th…
Answer · Richard Lochhead: The Scottish Government’s network of Rural Payments and Inspection Division (RPID) area offices carefully consider the potential environmental effects of all applications for land change submitted by land managers, as required under the Environmental Impact A…
26 Mar 2014 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S4W-19493 by Richard Lochhead on 27 February 2014, what research has been undertaken to determine whether the number of screening applications received since 2007 is an indication of (a) a low level of activity that breaches the regulations or (b) low a…
Answer · Richard Lochhead: The Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) register, records the numbers of screening applications and the number of these which then require a full EIA under the Environmental Impact Assessment (Agriculture) (Scotland) Regulations 2006. This data is collected…
26 Mar 2014 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what its position is on the statement in the Committee on Climate Change report, Reducing emissions in Scotland: 2014 progress report, that achieving the current legislated targets will be “difficult”; what its position is on the report’s view that the Scottish Government's options are t…
Answer · Paul Wheelhouse: The Scottish Government notes the Committee's advice regarding the impact of revisions to the Scottish greenhouse gas inventory data for 2011 and subsequent years, and will closely examine both options identified to address the challenge this has created. We …